Bunghole seat of metal



Feb. 2,1926. 15%,325

C. R. DDNNER BUNGHOLE SEAT OF METAL Filed Dec. 20, 1923 Fig Fig. 3.

Patented Z, 1926.

CARL RICHARD BONNER, OE 'WITTGENSDORF, GERMANY.

BUNGI-IOLE SEAT OF METAL.

Application filed December 20, 1923. Serial No. 681,775.

This invention relates to bung hole seat of metal, designed to be screwed and sunk into the top plate of a beer barrel. This bung hole seat has a female thread for the reception of a soecial shell by means of which a pact-ting disk, preferably of thin sheet aluminiuin, is tightly pressed against its hearing surface. Vithen thebarrel is to be t ped the tube oil the tap pierces through lS thin packing disk.

The bung hole seats of known type are es-Jentially characterized in that they have only one. determined tt'emale thread which SHVCS not only to receive a scparatethreaded shell by means of which a packing disk oi cork or similar elastic material is compressed, but further to receive the screw stopper on the tap. L

This arrangement presents the inconvenience that the upper part oi this female thread which is designed for the screwing in of the screw stopper or of the tap is freely accessible after the screw stopper has been removed so that it is not protected against damage when the empty barrel is being handled in the brewery. The beer barrels and casks are frequently re-pitched in which case the pitch heated toboiling temperature is injected througlrthe bung hole into the cask. In order to ensurethe convci'iient distribution of the pitch it is injected under such pressure that it gets also into the shell and into the upper unprotected part of the female thread from which it can he removed only with the aid of steel brushes. The female thread is however rapidly worn by this treatment. so that the shell becomes unlit for use after a very shorttime already.

This great inconvenience is avoided ac cording to the invention as the bung hole shell has not one uniform thread but two dili'erent female threads the lower and narrower one of which is designed merely for the reception of the screw threaded sleeve. and serves to secure the packing disk in posi- Ill) tion and the upper wider one being designed to receive either the screw stopper or a tap. V p

The threaded sleeve has further at the upper end a smooth square head adapted to reeive a socket wrench, said head project ing up to the upper end of the sleeve so that between the wider part of the female thread and the head of the threaded sleeve 5 an annular space is termed with which the screw stopper or tap engages. I

This arrangement presents in comparison with all similar arrangentients the great ad vantage that the wider upper part of the female thread of the bung hole shell designed to receive the screw stopper or the tap is well protected against damage when the barrel or cask is being treated in the brewery in which case the screw stopper 7 must beremoved, as the threaded sleeve remains in the bung hole until the treatment of the barrel or cask has been completed, or until the. packing disk has to be removed.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part or this specif cation, with the understanding that while on the drawings one embodiment of the invention is disclosed, the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be embodied in any manner which does not make a material departure from the salient features of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a sectionalelevation of the hung hole seat screwed into the top plate of a barrel. 3

Figs. 2 and 3 show the screw stopper in plan view respectively in-section.

Fig. 4c shows the packing disk in its origb nal state.

'Fig. 5 shows the packing disk pierced through.

Fig. is a similar view as Fig. 1 the tap being screwed in. i

Fig. 7 shows in elevation partly in section a metal tap.

Fig. 8 shows in elevation partly in section a metal tap in connection with a reducing sleeve. p

Reterring to Fig. 1 the internally thread I ed bung hole seat a screwed into the bung hole is set off at the upper end so that between the threaded sleeve 6 screwed into the lower part of the seat and the upper set off part of the inner wall of the same an annular space is formed which corresponds in width with the thickness of the flange 7c of the screw stopper 2' shown in Fig. 3. The bung hole seat a is sunk into the top plate so that the upper surface of the screw stopper screwed into the seat is flush with the surface of the top plate of the barrel or cask. In the central bore of the seat a a shoulder Z) is arranged at the lower end of the female thread which serves as seat for the packing disk 0 made from thin sheet aluminium. This packing disk 0 is compressed and strongly pressed upon the shoulder b by the threaded sleeve 0 screwed into the bung hole seat, whereby the lower end of the bung hole seat is airtightly closed. The upper end of the threaded sleeve has a smooth outer surface wl1ich forms a square head projecting over'the upper edge f of the narrow lower part of the threaded central bore of the bung hole seat a, a hollow space it being formed between the wider upper part of the said central bore andthe outer surface of the threaded sleeve, the wider part 9 of the female thread being thus protected against accidental damaging and other prejudicial influences, especially during the treatment of the barrel or cask in the brewcry.

The screw stopper 2' (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) has two holes n and a downwardly projecting threaded flange 7a which fitsinto the hollow space It, a leather ring Z on the lower surface of the top plate being adapted to be tightly pressed against the end face of the bung hole seat a so that this seat is airtightly closed also at its outer end.

The packing disk 0 of sheet aluminium shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is to be pierced by the tap whereby the central part 0 is cut out and bent in downward direction as shown in Fig. '5.

Into the upper part 9 of the threaded bore of the bung hole seat a the lower end of the tap is to be screwed when the barrel or cask has to be tapped, the screw stopper 2' having been removed. The lower part of the tap as shown in Fig. 6 is of a similar shape as the screw stopper and has a leather lining designed to ensure the packing of tho bung hole seat at the upper end. The tube of the tap when the same is being inserted into the seat a pierces the packing disk 0 so that the central part 0 of the same is merely bent down but does not drop into the barrel. This is a great advantage as it is often very difficult to remove from the barrel the packing disks or part of the same which have dropped into the barrel. The wire gauze fixed on the lower end of the tube of the tap is-pr-eferably sharp edged to facilitate the piercing of the packing disk.

A tap of metal is shown in Fig. 7 which may be substituted for the commonly used wooden tap; its lower end is of the same shape as the lower end of the tap shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows a commonly used tap on the lower end of which a reducing socket is screwed so thatthis tap can also be used with the improved bung hole seat according to the invention.

I claim A metal bung hole seat with separate fe male thread for the reception of a threaded sleeve by means of which a packing disk of thin sheet aluminium, designed to be pierced by the lower end of the tap when the cask or barrel is being tapped, is tightly pressed on its bearing surface and whereby an absolutely air tight closing of the inner end of the bung hole seat is ensured, comprising in combination with the conical bung hole seat having the upper part of its inner threaded bore set off, awthreaded sleeve to be screwed into the lower narrow part of said threaded bore, a square head of said threaded sleeve having a. smooth outer. surface projecting up to the upper end of said bung hole seat so that between its smooth outer surface and the upper wide part of the threaded bore of the bung hole seat a ring-shaped hollow space is formed, and a screw stopper composed of the top plate designed to bear upon the upper end of said bung hole seat and of a downwardly projecting threaded flange the thickness of which corresponds with the inner width of said ring-shaped hollow space of the bung holeseat.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CARL RICHARD DONNER. 

